“At the Chamber, we know how vital it is for our local businesses to have efficient transportation options. Freight railroads stand out on this front because of their financial commitment to building and expanding the nationwide rail network, a stark contrast to our publicly funded roads and highways.”

Mike Miller has served as the President of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce since 2014. He has 40 years of media business experience, including having served as publisher of the Florence Morning News from 1999 through 2007.

In 2008, Miller left the Florence area to assume the position of president and publisher of the Winston-Salem Journal and the Piedmont Publishing Group in North Carolina. In 2012, he joined Jones Media Group in Tennessee where he was the publisher of the Athens Daily Post-Athenian and the Monroe County Advocate.

“Union Pacific and Oklahoma’s 17 other freight railroads are an economic powerhouse for our local and state economies. They not only connect local business and industry to the rest of the country and world, they are doing this with private dollars that continually improve efficiency, helping shippers’ bottom lines.”

Leslie Osborn was elected as Oklahoma’s twentieth Labor Commissioner in 2018 and is currently serving a four year term. Prior to being elected Labor Commissioner she served ten years in the Oklahoma House of Representatives representing District 47, which includes parts of Canadian and Grady counties. During her tenure she was appointed in 2013 by Speaker Shannon to chair the Judiciary committee, the first female in state history to do so.

She currently also serves as the chair of the Oklahoma Occupational Licensing Advisory Commission and the Department of Commerce’s Automotive Steering Committee, which is actively working on recruitment of diversified manufacturing businesses to the state of Oklahoma. In addition, she serves on the advisory board of Oklahoma Small Business Development Centers and the Oklahoma Academy. She also serves on the foundation board for the Canadian Valley Technology Center. She is a member of Oklahoma First Ladies and a lifetime member of the OSU Alumni association. She graduated from the Leadership Oklahoma Class 27 and served as the state director of the national group Women in Government.

“My position as Vice Chair of the Oklahoma House’s Transportation Committee has given me a favorable view of private freight rail companies, like BNSF in our region, that invest vast sums into our communities by way of infrastructure. Their spending, which comes at no expense to taxpayers, is crucial to the transportation network that moves our economy.”

Casey Murdock was elected to his first term in the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2014 and currently serves as the Vice Chair of the House Transportation Committee. He represents the 61st House district that covers the panhandle of Oklahoma.

Murdock grew up in western Oklahoma and he is an alumnus of Oklahoma Panhandle State University. Since graduating, he has farmed and ranched near his hometown while also serving as Farm Manager for New Mexico State University’s Clayton Livestock Research Center where he focused on feedyard management and livestock research. Murdock also previously served on the Felt School District board. He is married and a father of three.

 

 

“The private dollars that freight railroads pour into their infrastructure are a force multiplier for North Carolina’s economy—supporting the health of the rail infrastructure that connects businesses in our state and across the country to our ports and beyond. At the local level, the benefits of rail dollars are clear: more jobs and increased economic development.”

Paul Meyer began his service at the League as Chief Legislative Counsel in 2009 and later served as Director of governmental affairs. He was named Executive Director in 2013. Meyer brings more than 15 years of experience working on local government legislative and legal issues.

Before joining the League, Meyer spent more than a decade advocating for county governments as a lobbyist for the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners. He has also worked in private law practice and in the commercial insurance field. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University and earned a law degree from Campbell University School of Law.

“Freight railroads crisscross South Carolina, moving efficiently day in, day out to haul raw materials originating here, like lumber and paper, as well as finished products to the rest of the country and beyond. Rail is the connector that helps to power the local and national economies—and railroads are continually investing in the network that makes this possible.”

D. Paul Sommerville is the Chairman of the Beaufort County Council. He represents District 2 (MCAS/Beaufort/Lady’s Island/Fripp Island). Sommerville’s background is in labor relations, where he is a management consultant.

Sommerville is a graduate of Duke University and a veteran of the U.S. Army. A Beaufort native, he is married with two daughters.

 

“Emerging export markets around the globe are providing tremendous opportunity for North Dakota’s economy. Rail is the vital and irreplaceable economic multiplier for our farmers and energy producers to maximize the results of their hard work and innovation.”

Steven Bakken is the Business Development Director for Larsen Engineering, which provides bridge management, construction management, engineering, design, planning and commissioning work to the railroad industry. Larsen has 12 locations in 10 states across the country.

Bakken also has more than 35 years of broadcast and media experience. He was formerly the host of several regional talk radio shows, including “Energy Matters” and “What’s On Your Mind” based out of KFYR 550 in Bismarck, ND and various affiliates. These programs afforded Bakken access to all levels of government, business, associations and industry executives on state, federal and international platforms in the energy industry as well as agriculture and private business.

“The economic impact when freight railroads invest in their network reverberates across America and in cities like St. Joseph. As the home to Herzog, a rail supplier that employs hundreds in our community, our city sees the real benefits of the private dollars that go into rail infrastructure, from direct jobs to a more efficient freight network for our businesses.”

Representative Bill Falkner represents part of Buchanan County (District 10) in the Missouri House of Representatives. He was elected to his first two-year term in November 2018.

In addition to his legislative duties, Falkner is a plumbing consultant. Previously, he owned and operated Falkner Plumbing for more than 30 years. He served as the mayor of St. Joseph for 8 years from 2010 – 2018, and also served as a councilman on the St. Joseph City Council. Falkner has served on the Missouri Municipal League Board of Directors.

“Having worked in-depth on many infrastructure and economic development projects throughout Denton County, I know firsthand that a strong freight rail system strengthens our economy. The private investments into North Texas freight rail access and the network’s capacity are connecting employers in the region to destinations and markets across the nation, and through our seaports, to the world.”

Commissioner Andy Eads, a native Texan and fifth generation resident of Denton County, has served on the Denton County Commissioners Court since 2007. He also serves as Denton County’s representative to the Regional Transportation Council, president of Denton County Housing Finance Corporation, and chairman emeritus of the Flower Mound Chamber of Commerce.

Andy began his public service career at the Town of Addison, where he researched and authored the history book Addison, Texas: A Pictorial History. Andy lives in Flower Mound with his wife and their children.

“The Indiana Railroad partnered with CN to develop intermodal freight rail service in 2013 and has seen year-over-year growth ever since. This builds upon an already robust service provided by CSX. Rail investments have opened doors to new export opportunities with Asia, Canada, and South America. These opportunities have positively impacted Indianapolis’ ability to compete in a global marketplace and they are attracting new employers.”

Mark Fisher serves as the Vice President of Government Relations and Policy Development for the Indy Chamber. In this role, he is responsible for the overall public policy direction of the Chamber, while focusing his efforts on economic and community development, transportation, local government and fiscal policy matters. Prior to joining the Chamber as Vice President, Fisher served as Director of Engagement and Interim President of Develop Indy as well as various roles within the Chamber’s public policy team.

A native of Bloomington, Indiana, Fisher has a B.A. in sociology, a certificate in business and a minor in economics from Indiana University-Bloomington and an M.P.A. from Indiana University-Indianapolis. He currently lives in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood of Indianapolis with his wife and four children and stays active in a variety of community-based initiatives including Leadership Indianapolis as well as serving as a member of the board for IndyGo, Midtown Indy and the Indianapolis LISC office.

“Because Kentucky is strategically located in the center of the nation, the quality of our transportation network helps define both the ability of local communities to compete and their overall quality of life. The backbone of this infrastructure includes a freight rail network that provides affordable and efficient service that connects our cities to customers around the world.”

J.D. Chaney began his work with the Kentucky League of Cities as a law clerk before serving as the organization’s Counsel for Member Legal Services and, later, as Director of Governmental Affairs and Chief Governmental Affairs Officer. In his current capacity as Deputy Executive Director, Chaney is a member of the executive management team and is primarily responsible for advocating for city governments in Frankfort before the General Assembly. In addition, he oversees the organization’s corporate and municipal law services, research and training functions.

Chaney is a graduate of the University of Montana where he received a B.A. in political science and economics. He received a law degree from the University of Kentucky Collge of Law and an M.B.A. from Eastern Kentucky University.